2011/12 UEFA Champions League

[TomJSports]

I don't think you understand how Champions League works. Teams usually field weak squads or rotate players on domestic leagues two days before a CL game. There is millions of dollars involved in CL in terms of bonuses for wins and advancing to next round. I wouldn't pay attention to what Dortmund did with Hertha a couple days ago.

Dortmund underperformed without Gotze and were tactically outclassed. Arsenal don't do tactics and their two holding midfielders suck in that role. Gotze, Kagawa, Grosskreutz win them this match unless Theo Walcott hurts the Dortmund defence.

Dortmund didn't rotate any players versus Hertha (other than the suspended Gotze).

As stated, Pavy, BVB didn't really rest or sit any players. That was a full squad minus Super Mario losing to a 2.Bundesliga squad. They should beat this ugly Arsenal squad at home, but I wouldn't put anything on it.

[RubberKettle]

After seeing both lineups can't pick a bet for Dortmund v Arsenal.

Chelsea lineup is very strong boys, there is soo much pace throughout that side... I think Bayer are in for a hiding.

[TomJSports]

Wow, APOEL is now up on Zenit. Not terribly surprised, you can never trust Russian squads.

[TomJSports]

bye bye Mark van Bommel; time for Barça to net another.

[TomJSports]

WOW, Thiago let his foot do the talking this time.

[Fl6j66]

I took piss-poorLY performing Dortmund + some overs and i'm very sceptical.

Another nice shitty day.

[TomJSports]

Sorry bud, at least BVB managed the late draw. Dortmund should have beaten Arsenal at home.

[Fl6j66]

Why not today?

[TomJSports]

Kind of repeating myself, but:

Real Madrid at Dinamo Zagreb: I see Real exploding in this one with both the over and spread being healthy plays. Real loves watching Barça fail and then turning around and one-upping them. Sure it doesn't have a bearing in group play but Real knows what just happened in Barcelona, regardless.

Napoli at Manchester City: City has been unstoppable lately and I expect this to continue with a home match against Napoli. I don't expect Napoli to be a pushover, but I like City to score a bit and Napoli to not solve Joe Hart, 2-0 or 3-0.

Bayern München at Villarreal: I like Bayern in this one, but it may be the homer speaking. Villarreal hasn't looked great, but weren't playing their best last match and were a man down. I expect the Yellow Submarine to show up in this one and be a more formidable opponent than Bayern has faced. 2-1 seems like a decent score.

Manchester United at Benifica: ManU has been steamrolling opponents in the EPL and I expect it to carry over to Champions League. Winning in Benifica will be some valuable points for ManU to pocket. I don't think Benifica gets shutout; maybe a 2-1 or 3-2 tough one.

Lyon at Ajax: Ajax in Amsterdam usually means goals and tonnes of them. If Lyon can dictate play, it could be the opposite. Lyon would win this in Lyon, but I see this more as a 1-1 or 2-2 draw in Amsterdam.

Trabzonspor at Inter Milan: Inter should torch a Trabzonspor squad literally just lucky to be here. With Inter at San Siro, I think even more so. Turkish squads are fighters, but I still think Inter takes advantage and runs up the score on this one to get points and goal differential as high as they can early.

CSKA Moscow at Lille: I would say Lille wins this on account of being at home, but Russian squads are always tricky. CSKA is a pretty good squad and it's unknown how much travel will effect them (if any). Lille with a one goal win or draw is likely, but I wouldn't be surprised if CSKA wins.

Oțelul Galați at Basel: Basel is the better squad and is at home, but Oțelul Galați has a lot to gain by getting a Champions League win, and against Basel is their best chance to secure the Europa League position; let's be honest, this is a fight for a Europa League position. Basel should win this, but I think Oțelul makes a decent showing.

[TomJSports]

Holy hell, what a day in Champions League. The minnows of European football took it to the overly confident sharks in what was a fun day of football, but probably bad for the bettors.

Real only won 1-0 against Zagreb. Man City only managed a 1-1 draw against a determined Napoli side. Villarreal barely showed up as they were defeated 2-0 by Bayern. The other English side ManU, also only managed a draw 1-1 with a solid Benifica at home. Lyon kept Ajax in check in Amsterdam for a scoreless draw. Trabzonspor shocked Inter and the football world with a 1-0 victory. CSKA managed a 2-2 draw with Lille after Côte d'Ivoire rising star Seydou Doumbia's two late goals. Oțelul Galați performed admirably, but Basel still won 2-1.

A lot of Europe's top squads need to look in the mirror after these matches, because arguably Bayern and Porto were the only ones with great results; Chelsea looked terrible in a 2-0 win, and at least Real got the 1-0 win. This is what makes Champions League fun, looking forward to two weeks